The Foreign Office said Vladimir Putin’s troops were “almost certainly” massing in anticipation of either a Ukrainian counterattack or a possible new advance into the country, which has been partially occupied since the war began in February. The conflict “is about to enter a new phase,” the Foreign Ministry said, in which fighting will shift west and south along a front line about 350 kilometers long stretching from near the city of Zaporizhzhia to Russian-held Kherson. Large convoys of Russian military trucks, tanks and weapons have been seen moving in a southwesterly direction away from the Donbas region, which has been the focus of Russia’s recent war efforts. The Foreign Office said military equipment “was reported to be moving from Russian-held Melitopol, Berdyansk, Mariupol and from mainland Russia via the Kerch Bridge into Crimea,” while regular battalion groups, comprising between 800 and 1,000 troops, “have been deployed in Crimea and it will almost certainly be used to support Russian troops in the Kherson region.” Ukrainian forces are said to be targeting bridges, ammunition depots and rail links in the country’s southern regions in an attempt to cut off Russia’s ability to resupply. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that last week his forces “achieved strong results” in destroying Russia’s logistics supplies. “Every strike on the enemy’s ammunition depots, their command posts and stockpiles of Russian equipment saves the lives of all of us, the lives of Ukrainian servicemen and civilians,” he said in a midnight video address. An armored convoy of Russian troops drives into part of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region (Reuters) In Zaporizhzhia, Russia was again accused of bombing the nuclear power plant over the weekend, and Ukraine’s state-run nuclear power company said Russian forces destroyed three radiation sensors at the facility. “Russian nuclear terror requires a stronger response from the international community – sanctions on the Russian nuclear industry and nuclear fuel,” Zelensky tweeted. Elsewhere, four ships carrying Ukrainian grain have sailed from Black Sea ports as part of a deal to unblock the country’s seaborne exports. Bulk carrier Glory, center, was among four ships making their way from Ukrainian ports (AP) Pope Francis welcomed the move, saying “the step shows that it is possible to have a dialogue to achieve concrete results that help everyone.” Also on Sunday, Amnesty International apologized for the “sadness and anger” caused by a report accusing Ukraine of putting civilians at risk by deploying Ukrainian troops in populated areas. Zelensky accused the organization of trying to shift blame from Russian aggression, while Amnesty’s head for Ukraine, Oksana Pokalchuk, resigned, saying the report was a propaganda gift for Moscow.
